In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, the boys start the episode the same way they started last week with an injured quarterback. Tyler Van Dyke went down in the game against Alabama. Van Dyke suffered a torn ACL in what Oates thought was a nasty no-contact injury. He’ll be out the rest of the season, which is a blow to everyone. It’s a blow to Van Dyke, who’s going to miss what could have been a great comeback season. It’s a blow to the Badger’s, who now have to rely on Braedyn Locke as their quarterback the rest of the season. And it’s a blow to Badger fans who were hoping for an identity to emerge around Van Dyke.

Would Van Dyke come back to the Badgers next year? He should be ready to hit the field by the fall camp next year, but would the Badgers be able to afford him? He might be able to make it into the NFL, but with the state of the NIL today, he might be taking a pay cut.

Switching to pro-football, the Packers beat out the Colts on Sunday, thanks to a great coaching job from LeFleur. Willis looked promising, and he was put in a position to succeed. The Packers’ running game was strong, and they stuck to it, even when things hit a wall in the third quarter. The team ran the ball creatively and stuck to a great game plan, which paid off in the end. Plus, Badger fans were given something good to watch as Jonathan Taylor played a good game back in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, it’s hard to lead with anything other than Jordan Love’s injury. In the final seconds of the Packers opening game in Brazil on Friday, Love went down that Oates and everyone else thought looked like a horrible leg injury. But LeFleur says he has an MCL sprain, meaning he’s only expected to be out for 3-6 games. LeFleur is even leaving the door open for Love to return this Sunday against the Colts, though that’s almost certainly him being coy to psych out Indianapolis. Still, the team doctors are known to be a touch conservative and er on the side of caution, meaning Love likely won’t be back until he’s ready.

In the meantime, it’s almost certain that Malik Willis will be in the position of starting quarterback this Sunday. What does that mean? Who knows, at least until the game is over. While some have said of Willis as “the arm of Jay Cutler and the playing style of Jaylen Hurts,” he hasn’t been in too many big games. With every game in the NFL being a big game, Willis is going to need to step up on Sunday. While it’s not a must win game quite yet, the Packers can’t afford to lose every game that Love needs to sit out.

Outside of Love’s injury (and the slippery field), Oates says he saw a good number of issues on the field. As LeFleur put it, there were a lot of sloppy plays. You know what could have avoided those sloppy plays? Maybe a preseason game or two.

In college football, the Badgers are heading up against ‘Bama this weekend, their toughest team yet. SEC teams are fast and ‘Bama are no exception. Still, Oates thinks the Badgers have a chance - the game is in Camp Randall and ‘Bama has a new coach. But they have to play physically, both on offense and defense, and make zero mistakes. Because one mistake, especially on defense, and Alabama will take advantage of it and score. Both teams the Badgers have played so far this year should have been well below them. And they cannot afford to play like that again on Saturday.

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Lucas brings up an uncomfortable question: can the Brewers keep Willy Adames?

Probably not, says Oates. He’s playing great baseball, and every home run he hits helps the Brewers grow their divisional lead. But those home runs are also driving up his price point. While he’s a great fit for the Brewers, both in terms of athletic ability and in personality and his ability to bring the team together, the Brewers would really struggle to afford his floor, and his ceiling is growing every day.

Getting off that topic, the Badgers won their game against Western Michigan on Saturday, and gave us a lot to look at. There was some good: their running game was strong and hard, and Lucas likes the look of the wide receivers. There was also some stuff that looked mediocre. Or maybe that’s just “methodical.” But in the 14th game of the Luke Fickle era, the fireworks offense that was promised still hasn’t materialized. Van Dyke has better running legs than expected, but his yardage isn’t there. Add in some possible communication issues into the mix, and it leads to some worry. But the season is young, and we’ll see what happens with South Dakota next week.

After the break, it’s time to break down what to expect Friday night as the Green Bay Packers head to Brazil to take on the Eagles. Both Jordan Love and Jalen Hurts are a bit of a mystery this season, and the Eagles have been having some back of house issues, but they’re still a tough team to take on anywhere. Brayden Narveson has been named as the Packers’ kicker, and neither Lucas or Oates know much about him. He had a good college and preseason career, but will that amount to success in the NFL? Lucas and Oates give their predictions for what they think is going to happen this Friday in the Packers season opener.

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, it’s cut down day for the Packers, and while one big name player isn’t cut, he is out for the season. The team announced that AJ Dillon is out for the season due to a neck injury. That’s a blow to the Packers, especially since this might mean Dillon is done not just for the season, but for the Packers.

The green and gold still have Josh Jacobs to rely on, along with Marshawn Lloyd and Emmanual Wilson, so they do still have options.We may not have seen much of Jacobs, Oates says, but he’s still a high quality player. Wilson is a grinder, says Lucas, and while still a step down from Jacobs he’s still a good asset. As for Lloyd, we just haven’t seen enough, and who knows, he could come through and surprise us.

But Tuesday was still cut day for a lot of Packers, including both Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt, who were both vying for a spot as Love’s backup quarterback. That leaves Malik Willis as the backup QB by default, unless they pick up someone cut from elsewhere Tuesday. But that situation, Oates says, is dire.

Those weren’t the only cuts Tuesday. Kicker Anders Carlson is out, in a blow to the special teams. So is linebacker Kristian Welch. But of course, Tuesday was cut down day, and someone had to go.

Turning to college football, the Badgers are set to face off against Western Michigan in their first game Friday night. Tyler van Dyke will be starting as quarterback, and while the question of who was going to fill that role was up in the air for a while, that doesn’t mean he didn’t earn it.

But sticking with injuries, defensive lineman James Thompson Jr. could be missing the entire season due to an upper body injury. As one of the most senior players on the team, that hurts. But Oates says that the defense will still take a step up this season.

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Lucas and Oates look back at what they said last week about what LeFleur said about wanting to vomit, and wonder if Packers fans are feeling about the same this week. After last weekend’s exhibition nightmare, Oates thinks it’s about time that Packers fans got a bit humbled. For months, people have been heaping a little bit too much praise on the Packers, considering how young the team is. But after that mess? Maybe both the fans and the organization can get a nice scoop of perspective.

Starting with the first wakeup call - is Sean Clifford really a proper backup quarterback to serve the Packers if something happens to Jordan Love? While some people thought that Clifford should be starting over Love, this weekend showed that Clifford has some major issues. While we only saw one performance from the backup quarterback, we still have to ask: is Sean Clifford really a viable backup? That wasn’t the only issue though, looking at that backup offensive line, Lucas and Oates both ask if there is any depth. Even the best of that backup line is going to create an issue if they have play them in a real game.

LeFleur still hasn’t said if any starters will be playing the Ravens this weekend, but Oates thinks they better. People are forgetting that this might be the youngest team in the NFL this season, and as Oates has been saying for weeks now, they all need reps in a real game.

Moving onto the Brewers, the Brew Crew has gained the largest divisional lead in all of baseball right now. And sure, their league isn’t great, but that shouldn’t discount the teams chances in the playoffs. Even since Yellich announced that he was out for the season, the team has held their own both at the plate and on the mound.

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, the Packers had their first preseason game this past weekend, and Lucas and Oates have a lot of thoughts. But no questions about the Packers’ Number One WR, or LaFleur might vomit. He says he’s sick of that question, and there’s little question why. One of the few issues Aaron Rodgers had when he was still with the Packers was that he focused too much on Davante Adams and not enough on anyone else.

Instead, the Packers have several “top” guys, which helps in a lot of ways, Oates says. First, you aren’t paying any one of them quite as much as you would a Number One guy. But it also opens up the offense when the defense doesn’t know where you’re going to pass to.

Moving away from the receivers though, Oates was pretty impressed with their new defensive line. They're talented and explosive, which is not something they’ve seen quite as much in recent years. The Packers old defense wasn’t playing to their players strengths, but if they stay as they looked on Saturday, that might not be the case this season. It might not be fancy and exotic, but it will be aggressive.

Moving away from football, Team USA won the gold in basketball, thanks in no small part to Steph Curry. It was another great moment for him, in a career of great moments. Steph’s changed basketball, Lucas says, and probably won’t be the same for a long time. Also on Team USA, and not to be discounted, is Jrue Holiday. If you look at the paper, Jrue probably wouldn’t be considered a hall of famer. But if you look at the court, and the results? There’s no question, and this gold medal just cements that fact.

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Lucas and Oates spend a little bit of time having old man flashbacks before tackling a big question everyone watching the beginning of the NFL season: what’s going on with these new kickoff rules?

They’ll be tested out for a one-year basis, but they are very confusing. Onside kicks are only allowed in the fourth quarter, and only if the team is trailing, and they have to be declared first? Touchbacks can be at the 20, 30, or 40 yard line? Sure, keeping the kickoff is a good thing, it should stick around! But this is confusing.

There’s only one way to really know how they will turn out - watching a game. Still, the Packers were one of only a few teams to vote against the rule change. The first team to really figure out how to make the new rules work to their advantage might still be able to make some real big plays.

Speaking of Packers games, they play their first preseason game this Saturday, and Love will be on the field. Probably not for the full game, but Oates says it’s a good thing. The Packers are a young team this year, and Love is still a young quarterback. Getting some snaps in before the regular season could help them in the long run.

The Packers first regular season game this year? Against Philly, and playing in Brazil. Lucas doesn’t like it, and neither does Oates. Lucas doesn’t like it because it’s not fair to the fans. It’s the opening game of the season, and very few hometown fans will probably be able to attend. Oates doesn’t like it because it’s not fair to the players. Any time any team plays overseas, it’s going to take more than a week for them to recover.

Finally, the Memorial Shell at UW Madison is coming down, and Oates has a lot of memories playing pickup basketball there, going back decades. He’s played against everyone from football coaches to a cavalcade of players, to even a former Wisconsin governor…

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Lucas and Oates pick up on last week’s conversation on Jordan Love. After some speculation on his contract, Love is walking away with $55 million a season. Is that a big bag? Yes, but it’s still friendly to the team, thanks to slightly lower guaranteed money.

While the deal was inevitable, Oates says, the Packers at least have some protection in case Love doesn’t turn out to be as good as he was the last 10 games of last season. The Packers weren’t getting out of this cheap, not without Love, and Oates says that this is a decent deal, and everyone can come out happy.

That means that Love joins the $50 million + club, which means that now we have to ask: which $50 million + quarterback is going to play in the super bowl this next year?

Meanwhile, the MLB trade deadline has come and gone. There was some concern that Yellich could see his replacement come through after his latest injury. But the Brewers have bigger fish to fry, namely their starting pitchers. The Brewers need someone with length, Oates says, considering how much of their bench has been on the DL this year.

Finally, the Badgers have started practice in Platteville. It’s no use to try and decide if they’ll be a great team or not this year, Lucas says. At least not in this heat.

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.